The commission was established by residents at a special town meeting several weeks ago, but the selectmen were unable to agree on the panel's makeup, saying they wanted to be sure the group had the right mix of interests and expertise.

Also Wednesday, the selectmen appointed a committee to review the fire department's pension plan and a committee to look into the possibility of a walking trail next to the Valley Railroad tracks in town.

The fire department pension committee will consist of John LeQuere and Marcus Nanfito from the department's Company No. 1, Joe Zaientz and Dan Casey from Company No. 2, town Treasurer Dick Hickish, finance board member Woody Ferguson and one nonvoting member each from the board of selectmen and the fire department's board of directors. The committee is due to meet for the first time next week.

The rail trail study committee, suggested by the town's conservation commission, will have representatives from that commission, the planning and zoning commission, the economic development commission and the local land trust.

In addition to those members, who have not been determined, four individuals will serve on the committee: Bob Lentz, Mary Kay Long, Dot Zanelli and Dodie Murad.

The committee will study the possibility of having a hiking trail near the tracks, which run next to the Connecticut River, and make recommendations to the selectmen by the middle of January 1995. The idea already has drawn opposition from neighboring Middletown, where some officials have expressed concern that any such use would jeopardize future rail uses for now-dormant tracks and slow economic development prospects.

The selectmen also reappointed until Nov. 1 the committee that has been looking for a site for a new Company No. 1 firehouse. The committee was appointed in April for a 90-day period but has yet to find a suitable site.